Apparatus for cracking oil



July 3, 1.934.

e EGLOFF APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Original Fi led Dec. 20, -1920 INVENTOR. flana'v 71017 WK ATTORNEY.

Patented July 3,- 1934 STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Gustav Egloff, Chicago, IIL, assignor to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago; 111., a. corporation of South Dakota 1927, Serial No. 196,022, Renewed May 3, 1932 2 Claims.

This application is -a divisional application of my co-pending application Serial No. 432,071 filed December 20, 1920 which has even ua ed Patent No. 1,638,093.

5. This invention relates to improvements in an apparatus for cracking oil, and refers more par.- tioularly to an apparatus in which the oil is treats ed in a battery of heating elements, each provided with its own expansion chamber, and the generated vapors conveyed from the respective expansion chambers to a common vapor drum, and thence subjected to reflux condensing action. The process is also distinguished by the fact that the oil is subjected to diiierential pressures 315: in various parts of the system, and more particularly to a constantly increasin pressure whereby the oil, particularly the vaporizedportion thereof, has its constituents subjected to a more intense impact of the molecules, thus tending :2or to facilitate and speed up the reaction at the same time producing different products of reaction than would be the case where lessened pres.- ssures were employed. At the same time the process is so carried out as to avoid subjecting that portion of the apparatus which is heated to undue temperature conditions.

In the drawing, the single figure is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation and vertieal section 'of my improved apparatus.

: Referring to the drawi 1 designates a furnace construction in which is mounted a battery of heating elements 2, each of which may take the form of say several hundred feet of two "to six-inch pipe. The inlet side of each coil is 535 connected to a main feed header 3, leadingto the raw oil charging pump 4, which pump is connected to any suitable source of supply. The outlet side of each heating coil is connected to a :relatively large shell-like vapor chamber :5 located outside of the fire zone, each vapor chamber being provided with a residue draw off pipe 6, having throttle valve '7. The upper part of reach expansion or vapor chamber 5 is provided "with a vapor outlet pipe 8, leading to a vapor Iheader 9. This vapor header 9 is connected by transfer pipe 10 to an elongated relatively large vapor drum 11. A pump 12 is interposed in .line 10. The upper part of the drum 11 is con- :nected by pipe 12 to a dephlegmator l3, hav- .ing baffles 14. The upper part of the dephlegmator 13 is connected by vapor outlet pipe 15 to the condenser coil 16, seated in condenser box '17. A pressure pump 18 is interposed in the line 15. The lower end of the condenser coil ..'55,is connected by pipe 19 to the top or receiver 29.

(Cl, 196l0.

This receiver 20 is provided with gas outlet pipe 21, having throttle 'valve 22, liquid draw oli pipe 23, having throttle valve 2a. It also has liquid level gauge 25. Various parts of the system are provided with suitable pressure gauges 26 and with :pyrometers not shown. Throttle valves 2'7 are interposed in the connections leading from the heating coils to the feed header 3, and similarly valves 28 are interposed in the various feeder lines 8. The reflux condensate may be drawn off from the lower end of the chamber 11 through pipe 29 leading to raw oil pump 4. If desired, the reflux condensate may be drawn olT elsewhere through the branch 30, valves 31 and 32 being provided as shown for this purpose.

The process may be carried out in my improved apparatus as follows:

Raw oil, as for example, fuel oil or heavy Mexican or California crude oils or crude oils from foreign fields, may be fed continuously through the main header and thence into the respective heatin coils and corresponding vapor chambers 2 and 5 respectively. Here the oil may be subjected to a pressure of say 1 50 pounds and heated to a temperature in the heating coils of say 760 degrees l t, the valves 27 and 28 being open. The-residueisconstantly drawn off through pipes 6 while the vapors pass out through the pipes 8 into the header 9'. The vapors are pumped by means of pump 12 into the elongated vapor drum 11, and subjected in such drum 11 and dephlegmator 13 to a pressure of say 200 pounds. The vapors are passed out of the upper part of the dephlegmator and these may be finally condensed under a pressure of say 300 pounds by suitably operating the pump 18. It is to be noted that the vapors are collected before entering the dephlegmator in the common vapor drum 11. This drum is relatively long so as to cause the vapors to have a substantial travel therein before theycan pass out of the chamber 11, and inasmuch as they are subjected to an increased pressure, not only a more. pronounced but a more prolonged impact of the molecules of the vapors is obtained, this impact resulting in facilitating the reaction. It is tobe understood that the various lines 8, 9 and 10 may be insulated so as to deliver the vapors at a relatively high temperature into the chamber 11. By means of this process some 50 to '75 per cent. of the raw oil charge may be converted into high grade pressure distillate containing substantially large percentages of gasoline. Inasmuch as the chamber 11 is located outside the fire 150116, it may be subjected to a very much higher pressure than the stills themselves, as for example, a pressure of say 150 pounds on the still and 1,000 pounds on the chamber 11 and dephlegmator, and even 1,500 pounds on the condenser coil and receiver. If desired, the pump 18 may be bypassed through the bypass line 33, having throttle valve 34, by opening this valve and closing the other valves 35 and 36.

I claim:-

1. An apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oil comprising a plurality of independent heating coils, an enlarged expansion chamber associated with each coil, means for passing charging oil from each coil to the associated enlarged expansion chamber, a single elongated vapor drum, means for passing vapors from each of said expansion chambers to said vapor drum, a dephlegmator, a communication between said vapor drum and said dephlegmator, and a pump intermediate said expansion chambers and said vapor drum whereby a pressure may be maintained in said vapor drum and dephlegmator in excess of the pressure maintained in said coils and expansion chambers.

2. An apparatus for cracking hydrocarbon oil comprising a battery of units each including a heating coil, an expansion chamber, means for supplying oil to the heating coil of each unit, means for delivering heated oil from each coil to the expansion chamber of the associated unit, a vapor drum, means for delivering vapors evolved from the oil to said vapor drum, means for subjecting the vapors in said vapor drum to a pressure in excess of the pressure maintained in said units, a dephlegmator, means for passing vapors from said vapor drum to said dephlegmater, means for returning reflux condensate separated from the vapors to the heating coils of said units, and means for finally condensing the vapors issuing from said dephlegmator.

GUSTAV EGLOFF. 

